A properly equipped 2026 Chevrolet Colorado crew cab is rated to tow 7,700 lbs, in 2WD or 4WD, with the 2.7L TurboMax engine that every trim shares. The one exception is the ZR2, rated at 6,000 lbs on a properly equipped crew cab. Because the Colorado comes only as a crew cab with a 5-foot bed, there is no cab or bed choice that moves the number, which makes this simpler than it is on most trucks: the rating turns on trim and equipment, not body style.

If you already know roughly what you pull, the ratings below will tell you quickly whether this truck covers it. Allen Tillery Auto Chevrolet is at 4573 Central Ave, and the sales line is 501-881-4274.

Maximum Towing Capacity by Configuration

Two ratings cover the whole lineup, and the split is ZR2 versus everything else rather than trim by trim.

Gross combination weight rating is the ceiling for truck plus trailer plus everything in both. It is the number that actually gets exceeded on a loaded weekend, because a truck at the top of its payload and a trailer at the top of its rating can be legal separately and over the combination limit together.

The ZR2's lower figure is not a defect and it is not a detuned engine. It makes the same 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft as every other Colorado. What changes is the suspension and the tires: a 3-inch lift, Multimatic DSSV dampers and 33-inch mud-terrain tires are tuned for wheel travel and traction rather than for stability under a tongue load, and the rating follows the hardware. If your weekends are trailers rather than trails, that is an argument for a Trail Boss over a ZR2, and it will save you $10,200 before destination.

Maximum Payload by Configuration

Payload on a properly equipped crew cab runs 1,445 to 2,046 pounds across configurations, and it is a range rather than a single figure per trim.

Payload is not bed capacity. It counts everyone in the cab, everything in the bed, the fuel in the tank and the tongue weight of whatever is on the hitch. Tongue weight on a conventional trailer typically runs 10 to 15 percent of the trailer's loaded weight, so a heavy trailer spends a real share of payload on tongue weight alone before a single passenger climbs in. On a midsize truck that arithmetic matters in a way it does not on a three-quarter-ton.

The figure that governs your specific truck is on the tire and loading label inside the driver's door jamb. It is printed for that VIN with its exact equipment, and it beats any published range including this one.

Trailering Packages and How the Rating Works

The Colorado carries one trailer rating, set by engine, axle ratio, gross combination weight rating and drivetrain.

That is worth saying plainly because it is different from how full-size trucks are quoted. On a Silverado HD you will see separate conventional, gooseneck and fifth-wheel figures, and buyers arriving from that world reasonably expect the same breakdown here. On a midsize the rating is the rating. Anyone quoting you a "conventional" Colorado figure as distinct from some other Colorado figure is adding a distinction the manufacturer does not make.

"Properly equipped" is the phrase that does the work in every rating on this page, and it is not decoration. It means the truck left the factory with the equipment the rating assumes. Two trucks on the same lot, same trim, can carry different ratings. Bring the VIN to us at 501-881-4274 and we will read it with you before you buy a trailer around it.

Available Trailering Technology

The Colorado's trailering aids are camera-led rather than app-led, and the useful ones are standard.

Every trim carries an 11.3-inch diagonal center touchscreen and an 11-inch diagonal digital driver information center, which is where camera views and the drive-mode display live. Multiple camera views are available, and on the ZR2 that extends to underbody cameras. Four selectable drive modes are standard on the Trail Boss and Z71, and five on the ZR2; the tow-relevant one adjusts throttle and shift behaviour when there is weight behind you rather than changing what the truck is rated to pull.

Standard blind spot detection matters more with a trailer than without one, and Chevy Safety Assist is standard on every trim: Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator and IntelliBeam auto high beams. Full detail is on the tech and safety page.

What Can the 2026 Colorado Actually Tow?

Boats, campers and side-by-sides sit comfortably inside the rating; goosenecks and car haulers do not. Where a row says weigh it, the same trailer can differ by a thousand pounds depending on its load.

Trailer weights vary enormously by build and by what is loaded in them, so this table compares against the rating rather than quoting a weight for your rig. Weigh yours loaded, then read it against your own truck's rating.

The build to ask for, if towing is the reason you are buying: a Trail Boss or an LT 4WD crew cab, properly equipped, at the full 7,700-lb rating. That is also what tends to be on the ground here. See Colorado inventory.

Real-World Towing Around Hot Springs

Two conditions decide how a midsize actually behaves here, and neither is on the spec sheet: ramp geometry and the state of the two-lanes in season.

The ramps at Lake Hamilton run long and shallow and get crowded from spring through October, and a good share of that traffic tows in from Benton and Bryant. Backing a boat down a busy one is a low-speed traction and visibility problem before it is ever a power problem, and a 214-inch truck with standard blind spot detection is genuinely easier to place than something a foot and a half longer. Lake Catherine is the quieter alternative when the Lake Hamilton ramps are stacked up, and the approach roads to both are the kind of gravel and patched asphalt that make all-terrain tires worth their road noise.

Spring storms leave standing water across the low crossings on the county roads feeding both lakes, which is where the Trail Boss's 2-inch lift and 9.5 inches of ground clearance stop being a styling choice. And if your run is up Interstate 30 toward Bryant and Little Rock, or back down it into Garland County with a loaded trailer, the thing to plan around is not the rating but the fuel: 19 mpg combined in 4WD unladen (fueleconomy.gov) is going to look optimistic with a loaded trailer behind you, on a 21.4-gallon tank.

Colorado Towing FAQs

How much can a 2026 Chevy Colorado tow?

7,700 lbs on a properly equipped crew cab in 2WD or 4WD, and 6,000 lbs on a properly equipped ZR2 crew cab. The figure depends on which trim you are looking at.

Why does the ZR2 tow less than the other trims?

Its 3-inch lift, Multimatic DSSV dampers and 33-inch mud-terrain tires are tuned for wheel travel and traction rather than for stability under a tongue load. The engine is identical at 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft.

What is the payload capacity of a 2026 Colorado?

1,445 to 2,046 pounds depending on configuration, with a WT, Custom or LT 2WD crew cab at 1,710 pounds.

Does the Colorado have a gooseneck or fifth-wheel rating?

The Colorado carries one trailer rating: 7,700 lbs on a properly equipped crew cab. For separate conventional, gooseneck and fifth-wheel figures you want a full-size Silverado HD, and we stock those.

Can a Colorado pull a two-horse gooseneck or a car hauler?

No. Both typically run 7,000 to 12,000 lbs loaded, past a 7,700-lb rating once tongue weight and passengers come out of payload. That is a three-quarter-ton job.

What does "properly equipped" actually mean?

It means the truck left the factory with the equipment the rating assumes. Two trucks of the same trim can carry different figures, so bring us the VIN at 501-881-4274 before you buy a trailer around a number.

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